The functional state of adrenal cortex in patients with chronic relapsing pancreatitis.

The functional state of the adrenal cortex (cortisol and 11-OCS in blood, 17-OCS in 24-hours' urine) was studied in 105 patients with chronic relapsing pancreatitis in the acute state. An increase of adrenal cortex glucocorticoid activity was determined in 46.7% of the patients. A decrease of glucocorticoid activity was observed in 10% of the patients. During remission a tendency towards hormone normalization was noted in most of the patients, except for 5 patients with marked exocrine pancreatic insufficiency in whom the hormone content of adrenal cortex remained low. The type of pancreatitis as well as the severity and duration of the disease were noted to exert no regular impact upon the changes of the indices. Since exacerbation of chronic pancreatitis is frequently accompanied by elevated glucocorticoid activity of the adrenal cortex, the prescription of glucocorticoid hormones in such patients seems undesirable. The administration of such hormones is possible only for the patients with exocrine pancreas insufficiency.